Your Accent
by AnnaHiwatari
Summary: REQUESTED FANFIC! Modern AU, Zoro x Giovanna


_This was requested by one of my follower on tumblr. She wanted a Zoroxher fic for her birthday._

_So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIOVANNA! Enjoy your story! ^^_

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Warm wind quietly blew, rustling the big leaves of the fully grown palm trees that were proudly standing close to the beautiful azure sea. The foam of the ocean slid back and forth over the soft and fine ochre sand. The sun was set high up in the sky, its position showing early afternoon hours.

People that were around the area enjoyed the peace and energy that wonderful beach was radiating. Enjoying the sun, peace and the climate, many people were outside, walking along the beach, swimming or just relaxing on the sand, wanting to get a perfect tan from a tropical sun.

But, not all the people were free, relaxing on the sun and enjoying their lives. There were always those who needed to work, despite all the wonderful things that were going on around them. The indoors of the cafes and restaurants were busy and full, having the people who talked about life, funny things that happened or serious business plans.

In a five-star hotel, in the classy and wide congress room with a long dark wood table, was a group of people who were discussing some serious and complicated business deals. That group was divided into two: one were the locals – a powerful owners of the large amount of country grounds, a company that was dealing with engineering, construction, building on and selling the land they owned; and the others, the group of people who were sitting on the opposite side of the big table, were for a far away country, from a massive company that owned the chain of hotels. Overseas guests wanted to expand and put their name in a foreign country.

Those two groups were talking about difficult plans, mentioning many numbers, tables and charts. The prices they offered were huge, unbelievable for a common person. But, they were talking business, keeping their serious faces the whole time. Neither of the groups backed of from their principles, rules and numbers. Negotiation lasts for hours, and it al went through one young woman who was the main translator between the parties.

She was serious and collected, not letting anything distract her. And it didn't – when she was on her position, she was the most concentrated person in the universe, talking steady, fast but understandable, not making a single mistake. She stood by the large panel on which was shown the business presentation, being played from a small projector.

And although she was concentrated and serious, she almost stuttered a couple of times when making eye contact with a person that was holding the presentation, standing on the opposite side of the panel. His eyes shifted to the woman many times, but he still held his calm, talking about his presentation, not missing a thing. He teased the girl and she almost gave in a couple of times.

Once the man finished his presentation about the benefits and prosperity the future hotel will bring, the girl finally relaxed, taking a deep breath. He still trailed her while going back to his seat and she honestly felt his gaze all over her even though she looked to the other side. She nervously moved a lock of her dark brown hair behind her ear, breathing steady but trying to remain calm as the man's gaze still hit her.

He didn't look away from her the whole time other's held their presentations. He admired her dedication to work, her professional stance and her wonderful voice that adapted between the languages so easily and fast. That same voice captivated him whenever she would speak in her native language. The words she said were serious and business related but they had a special ring in the man's ears. He liked that. And whenever she would speak in other language, his focus would rise and his ears sharpen, accepting that sweet sound and that unusual accent that she created.

'_Wow, she must be a splendid kisser.'_, the man though, watching how the girl used her tongue to say some difficult words.

"…onoa… Roronoa!", a deep man voice woke the guy out of his thoughts. The boss glared at confused young man, clenching his fists together. Young man cleaned his throat and stood up from his chair.

"I'm sorry, I was thinking about my next presentation.", he said but the girl didn't translate that. He looked at her and she only stared confusing at him.

"Well, it's time for your next presentation.", his boss said and looked at the screen, keeping the frown on his face.

Young man smiled, took some of his papers and went to the presentation panel. The girl finally looked away, read what was on the panel and translated with her steady and professional voice.

"_Roronoa Zoro will now present you the plan regarding the employment."_

…

The meeting ended after three full hours of negotiations, presentations, prices and many other things but nothing was concluded out of that meeting. Neither side agreed with the other; they didn't let go of their original prices and their plans but they still agreed to stay in touch if any of them decides to change their way of thinking.

That same night, in the hotel's restaurant, a rich cocktail dinner party was held for the overseas, Japanese guests. Although neither companies agreed and didn't make a deal, they still gathered to enjoy a nice and free time together.

Short and fat tanned land owner loved to drink so he teased, laughed and hugged his tall and slim Japanese friend. And the handsome hotel owner just couldn't escape the fat boss. He couldn't understand him a bit, tried to speak English to push him away but nothing worked – he just ended with refilled champagne glass and another round of annoying laughter from a fat moustache man.

While the bosses, their employees and the other guests were enjoying a nice and fancy dinner, some of the people were outside, away from the crowd and noise.

And the night was beautiful just like the rich dresses women wore at the party. Sky was clear, filled with stars, big full moon was up and shining on the ocean, making it sparkle under the touch of moonlight. Warm breeze that blew in the day cooled a little bit at night and was perfect opposite for a still warm air. Sound of the waves added more to the peaceful sound of the wind, creating a really nice relaxing combination.

A girl smiled to the situation that was going on in the room before exiting out on the quiet terrace. She held her champagne glass and shivered a bit due to a difference of the temperature but continued to the marble railing. She took a sip of her champagne and looked up at the starts but stopped as she realized that someone was already there. She looked to her right and backed off, panicking.

"I-I'm s-sorry! I… I didn't know you were here.", she started in English, not seeing who was she apologizing to. Man's lips curved into a smile and he laid his wine glass on the railing.

"Oi, relax.", the girl calmed at the sound of a familiar voice, "Why English so sudden? You can speak Japanese so well.", he added, his eastern voice filling the gap between them.

It was Roronoa Zoro, the man who couldn't stop looking at her the whole time the meeting of their companies lasted and the man she often gazed at during the same meeting. He came closer to her, light from the room showing his smiling face. He was dressed in a different suit, his tie loosened as the few buttons of his white shirt were undone, showing off a bit of his chest. The girl couldn't take her eyes off those perfect collarbones but snapped out of it fast as she realized that she started for too long.

"Sorry for being rude, but I didn't quite remember your name. I'm Zoro, by the way.", he said still keeping that soft smile on his face.

"M-My name is Giovanna. It's nice to meet you.", she spoke up in Japanese, introducing herself properly with a fine gesture at the end. Her small bow amazed Zoro as his smile widened to it. Her formal way of speaking, her right choice of words, made Zoro's smile shift to an amazed grin. He _really_ liked her way of talking.

"Hey now, no need to be so formal.", he said and Giovanna straightened up looking confused at him.

A long silence lasted between them as they just stared at the ocean far in front of them. The sound of the waves filled in the silence as neither of them spoke a word.

Giovanna's shyness took over – she was no longer a concentrated and serious professional she was that afternoon. She suddenly lost all her ability to speak _any_ language. She often shifted her eyes to Zoro, his calm and handsome posture, along with his specifically green hair were hard to ignore. But he wasn't stupid – Zoro felt her gaze on him and looked down at the shy girl. She flinched in place but Zoro only smiled. He turned and walked away but only to come back quickly, carrying his lost glass of wine. He took a sip and continued to stare at the endless ocean, sparkling in the night. Again, no words were exchanged. And that silence lasted…

"In the end, they didn't make a deal.", Zoro spoke up first. It took Giovanna a bit to process his words until she finally nodded. "But, that's business. You can't expect them to just say 'yes'. It's a huge deal and a big step to open a hotel in a foreign and far away country like this. Not to mention the risk of doing so. If something goes wrong, millions will go to waste."

Zoro continued talking while the girl only stared at her bubbly champagne, listening carefully to the steady and deep voice. The pause came again and it was her time to say something, but Giovanna's mind was just blank – she had no idea what to say.

"I-I think that the prices on both sides are extremely high.", she said and looked at Zoro. His face was calm and he just looked back at her but the girl went shy again and looked back at her glass, "B-but what do I know?! My position in the company is really low. I don't take part in the plans or deals; I do some minor works with papers and am used as translator when the foreign people come. S-sorry.", she bowed again which made Zoro chuckle.

"I told you not to be so formal.", she looked at him and relaxed, "And I think that they're both idiots.", Zoro said and took a sip of his wine. He made a gross face to it and left the glass back on the marble railing, "_Yappari_, I don't like these fancy drinks."

Giovanna stared at him – his words struck her. He just called both their bosses idiots!

"W-what do you mean?", she asked.

"About the wine or the idiot bosses?", he asked back, looking down at her.

"About our bosses."

"Well… my boss is an idiot because he's too hasty – he wants everything and he wants it now! And about your boss… well, he's too simple minded – he's stupid! He doesn't realize that he can get so much by letting a hotel be on the land he's selling. Many people could get a job and since it's in the hot zone, it will be full with tourists all the time. But, you can't get that into that fat guy's head. Sorry.", he looked down at Giovanna when he apologized but looked back at the scenery.

"I really don't understand how the things go around the company so I don't know much about selling and buying.", she uttered, embarrassed of her job.

"Well, I'm in that high position in the company so I know about it. I've seen and heard many things; I worked with many different clients, all sorts of people.", then he paused but quickly smiled to himself, "Why did I even start talking about work? I came here just to escape it.", he finished.

Giovanna looked over her shoulder in the gala room where her boss still laughed loud, hugging Zoro's boss, filling his glass with more wine. She sighed to the view and turned back.

"Yeah… I wish I had a different job…", she said with a sad voice, making Zoro look at her. He surely wasn't the type to comfort a girl so he just remained calm, not saying or doing anything unnecessary.

"Say, Giovanna…", Zoro started but chuckled, "Do you have any nickname or something? Your name is long and hard to pronounce. Something like… Gie?"

But that set a fire in Giovanna's soul – she hated being called by that name. She shot a death glare at Zoro and that only made him take a step back.

"Please don't call me like that.", she said, trying to stay calm.

"Why not?", Zoro pushed the button.

"Because… I just don't like it."

"Why?", he did it again.

"Just… because! I don't want to talk about it."

"Could it be that your ex called you by that name and now you hate it because it reminds you of him?", and he did it again.

"It's nothing like that!", Giovanna shouted, making Zoro back off again.

"Haha, finally!", he laughed and the girl calmed, "I finally made you relax and took your mind off work.", he smiled.

And Giovanna realized his words. She finally felt nice, forgetting about how work was hard and devastating and how bad she hated it. Even though she was working for a powerful company, her position was really low, just like her salary. Zoro made her feel free, and she didn't feel like that in a long time. Realizing that, she finally smiled happily.

"_Arigatou_.", she smiled, waking up a strange feeling that quickly wrapped around Zoro's heart. His cheeks started to warm up the more she looked at her. So, Zoro quickly turned his head away and covered his mouth with the back of his palm, trying to push away that feeling that made his heart race.

"And by the way…", Giovanna started and he looked at her again, "You can call me Jo.", she smiled again and Zoro did the same.

"And what does that mean? It doesn't match your name at all.", his words made the girl blush more.

"T-then don't call me anything!", she huffed, making Zoro laugh. She stopped and looked at him – Zoro was laughing from his heart and it was a sight that she wanted to last forever. Once he stopped laughing, Zoro offered Giovanna a hand, but she looked confused at him.

"Let's go out of here.", he said.

"But what about…?"

"Leave them to drink. It's not like they're out babysitters.", he said.

Giovanna hesitated – she looked at the happy crowd inside and then back at Zoro. He nodded but she still couldn't move. She gripped the glass she was holding, looking at the bubbles that were swimming up and disappearing once they reached the surface of the liquid.

In her ears mixed the peaceful sound of waves with laughter from the inside of the ball room. She looked up at Zoro once again – he kept his smile and still held his arm, inviting Giovanna to come with him. She was nervous but, in that moment, it was a chance! That was the chance that may not come ever again. Zoro was ready to set her free!

She bit her lip and with just one step forward took Zoro's hand. She left her champagne glass next to his glass that was half full with deep red wine. Zoro nodded once more and pulled the girl with him.

The ball room where the fine cocktail party was held was on the first floor so that the windows faced the garden and the ocean right ahead. That way, Zoro didn't need to jump from a high place – he only led Giovanna carefully over the cold marble railing. When she was about to come down from it, Zoro caught her and Giovanna carefully slid into his arms. Once her feet touched the ground, she then realized how the 10 cm height difference was actually big and how Zoro's face was manlier then what she saw that afternoon.

She accepted the warmth of his body and his arms on hers, but that only led to an extreme blood rush to Giovanna's cheeks. Her heart raced with each passing second she stayed within his grip. Her nose was filled with hard cologne that evaporated from Zoro, making her lose her mind and blush even more.

He smiled more and finally let go of her but still herd her hand gently. They ran through the hotel's back garden until they finally get out on the clear, right in front of the calm ocean. The soft night breeze hit their faces and relaxed them both. Giovanna closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment of peace and freedom but she soon opened them as she felt Zoro's grip disappearing. He let go of her hand and started walking towards the foaming water.

"It's so nice here.", he said and let out a heavy sigh after which silence came. Not that Giovanna didn't know what to say, she didn't want to say anything. She only looked at Zoro's wide shoulders, his strong back that was currently covered with pieces of clothes. But his muscles were still noticeable; Zoro was relaxed but his muscles were still tense.

"Right now… what would you like to do?", he asked and turned to Giovanna few seconds later. She still looked at him, not saying anything. Their eyes were glued and only silence remained. Muffled sound of the hotel party couldn't reach their ears anymore – the only thing that mattered was them!

Giovanna finally smiled which broke Zoro's serious face. He was surprised and felt warm when seeing this girl's soft smile.

"I know it'll sound weird but… I would like to swim. I think that'll relax me even more.", she admitted. Zoro smiled to that.

"It's not crazy at all. Let's go.", he added.

"Are you sure?"

"Why not?"

With that, Zoro took off his fancy shoes and went straight to the water, letting it wet his feet and the ends of his expensive black trousers.

"You were right… this really is calming.", Zoro said with a smile, looking at Giovanna over his shoulder. She took off her sandals and with steady walk approached the ocean. Slightly cold water made her flinch but she gathered up her courage and proudly continued forward. Giovanna soon went further into the water than Zoro as it almost reached her knees, the ends of her white summer dress hitting the water slightly. She let the cold reach her, calming her body from her feet to her head. Zoro looked at her but turned and continued walking on the wet sand, waves hitting his feet every now and then. As Giovanna knew she couldn't move her legs fast, she came to the shallow point and started walking behind Zoro. He noticed her and turned.

"Why aren't you swimming?", he asked.

"Because you won't join me. You've just been walking around in the shoal. Are you too scared to ruin your precious suit?", she teased him and made Zoro form a wide grin.

"I'm not scared. This is pretty calming for me; I don't need to go deeper in the water. If you have to, I'm not stopping you."

"Heh, you're scared.", Giovanna teased more.

"I said I'm not!", Zoro shouted, took some salty water into his palms and threw it on the girl.

They began to laugh and play like little kids, splashing the water everywhere, running around the beach and back in the water. Every Giovanna's attack resulted Zoro's counter attack. He finally grabbed her by her forearms, pulled and pushed her around, making the girl laugh more. But, the gravity was against them – Zoro stepped on the wet end of his pants and lost control of his balance. Still tightly holding Giovanna by her forearms, Zoro hit the ground hard.

"Safe landing you had there.", Zoro said and Giovanna opened her eyes, only to find herself lying onto the hard breathing man. Her face blushed immediately, that being followed by the racing heart. She tried to freed herself, but Zoro only gripped her tighter, now moving his hands and placing them on Giovanna's back, hugging her closer to him.

They didn't say a word… they just stared at each other endlessly. Zoro's eyes would shift from Giovanna's eyes to her lips and go like that over and over again. His large hands caressed Giovanna's back, trying to relax her, making their way to the back of her neck.

And what the young woman saw before her was an amazing sight. She stared at Zoro's dark eyes and couldn't look away. Her face burned but she didn't mind it at all – she liked that feeling. She noticed every little detail on Zoro's face – the scar that went over his right eyebrow amazed her, his three ring piercings on his left earlobe shone on the moon light; but no matter the wonderful details, she still came back to his mesmerizing eyes.

Zoro finally decided to move so he pushed Giovanna's head closer to his. They both _knew_; they both _wanted_ that moment to happen. But just when their lips were centimeters away, Zoro's cell phone started ringing. That broke Giovanna's concentration and Zoro noticed her slight flinch.

"Ignore it.", he whispered in her lips, trying to get her mind back to him and the moment. But the phone continued to ring with an annoying sound that now no one could ignore. They both lost all of their feelings that they had in that moment.

"Excuse me.", Zoro said and sat up. Giovanna instinctively moved so that Zoro could get up. He angrily stood up and marched away. Zoro took the annoying phone out of his pocket and answered it in annoyance.

"Yes?!", he almost yelled. "Yeah, I was busy. What's wrong?", he paused a bit to listen to the other side. The pause lasted. "Yeah, I understand. Okay…", he calmed down but disappointment could be heard in his tone. "Okay, I'm on my way…", Zoro finished the call and put the phone back in his pocket. He stood in the place for few moments but then turned to Giovanna. He picked up his shoes and looked sadly at her. "_Gomen_, my colleague called me, saying that the boss wants me. He probably got drunk.", Zoro chuckled a little.

"It's okay… We can always continue tomorrow.", Giovanna smiled but Zoro didn't which made her smile fade instantly.

"We can't continue… We're going back to Japan tomorrow.", Zoro said with a serious tone, making Giovanna's blood freeze. "_Sore ja_… _Oyasumi_.", Zoro finished and walked away, leaving a sad and confused girl alone on the empty beach in a tropical night.

When she came back to her own colleagues, Zoro and his group wasn't there, her boss was really drunk that fell asleep on a chair and with her having nothing to do, she went to her room.

That night, Giovanna barely slept…

…

Short and fat land owner decided that it was necessary to say farewell to their Japanese guests at the local airport so all of them arrived there, waiting for the others. When Zoro and his colleagues arrived at the departing place, Giovanna's heart skipped a beat. She really didn't want him to leave. There were so many things they still didn't do! There were so many things they didn't say to each other! There were so many things they didn't experience together!

And that hurt Giovanna so bad…

She only watched Zoro, unable to move or say anything. And while her and Zoro's boss greeted each other, wishing all the best to each other, Giovanna only stared at the green-haired man… the man she fell in love with.

She gripped the straps of her purse and bit her lip, trying to restrain herself from crying. At that moment of sorrow, Zoro finally looked at her and widen his eyes in surprise – it wasn't a sight he wanted to remember Giovanna from.

A voice came from the speakers, announcing that the flight time is closing and that the plane Zoro will be on will depart in about 5 minutes. Hearing that, Japanese boss and his employees started walking towards the stewardess that checked their tickets and let them pass in a different hallway one by one. It was hard but Zoro looked away and started walking behind his colleagues.

He will miss her. He will miss sweet Giovanna, her dark hair, her soft skin, her brown eyes and her sweet sweet accent that he liked so much. He loved the way she spoke in Japanese, the way she said some specific words, they way that home town accent mixed with eastern language.

She took a step but stopped, pulling her reaching hand back. She couldn't do a thing to stop Zoro from going back home. He didn't belong there, he had a carrier back in Japan and it was impossible for them to stay together, no matter what. But, she still looked at him, wanting that stare to last long enough for her to carve it into her memory.

And suddenly, Zoro stopped and turned, looking back at Giovanna. He left his suitcase and rushed to the girl, making her take a step back. Once he came to her, Zoro grabbed Giovanna's hands and stared deep in her eyes for a few moments before he spoke up.

"Come with me.", he whispered, making Giovanna's eyes widen and slightly fill with tears. Zoro didn't say anything else; he only continued to stare at her.

"Oi, Zoro! What are you doing?! We need to go! And fast!", one of Zoro's colleagues shouted.

"Giovanna! We need to go back! Come!", now her colleague yelled.

Soon, the airport waiting hall was filled with mixture of Japanese and Portuguese language. The shouts mixed but neither of the two, which were shouted at, moved. They just stared at each other, their faces really close.

"I'll secure your future forever. Come with me, I need you. I need your voice to fill my ears every day… I need you, Giovanna.", Zoro said and put his lips onto Giovanna's, making the girl's eyes widen in surprise. In that moment, all the international shouting muted, all eyes were on the loving couple that was standing in the middle of the hall. Giovanna closed her eyes, wanting to enjoy the kiss but Zoro broke it soon and looked at her again.

She looked at him, still not being able to say anything. She was scared – it was a big decision to make so many different thoughts roamed around her mind. Those moments of silence seem endless so Zoro had to break them.

"Are you going or do I need to kiss you again?", he smiled. He wanted Giovanna to decide fast and decide right, because he really wanted to be with her. He didn't have any time for doubts. Finally, Giovanna smiled, looking softly into Zoro's eyes.

"We don't have time. We'll continue the kissing on the plane.", she winked, making Zoro's cheeks turn slightly pink.

He took her hand and they ran to the stewardess desk. Giovanna's boss yelled at her but she only smiled and shouted back that she quits his company. The two barely made it to the plane and happily took off.

Kiss after kiss, they lined up the whole time during their flight over the ocean. After being exhausted because of all the laughing, talking and kissing, Giovanna fell asleep on Zoro's shoulder, holding his hand the whole time.

And Zoro was happy she was there. Giovanna was all he wanted; she was all he needed. And he was happy that he'll, from that moment on, wake up to a sound of her voice. His days will be filled with Giovanna's love, care and her sweet accent.

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**- THE END -**


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